A saint's day
St Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland
St Patrick was born in Roman Britain and at sixteen was seized by raiders and sold as a slave in Ireland, where he learned to pray without ceasing. After six years he escaped home; called back in a dream by “the Voice of the Irish,” he returned as a bishop to the land of his captivity, baptized multitudes and founded churches and monasteries. He called himself “a sinner” and gave the glory to God's grace.
The dates
- Kept on
- 17 March (30 March on the Old Calendar)
- Next, New Calendar
- Next, Old Calendar
The New Calendar (the Greek, Antiochian, Romanian and Bulgarian churches, the OCA and most converts) keeps fixed feasts on the church date; the Old Calendar (the Russian, Serbian and Georgian churches, Jerusalem and Mount Athos) keeps them 13 days later. Pascha and the feasts that follow it are kept on the same day by both.
How the day is kept
Many Orthodox Christians honor him as the Enlightener of Ireland, a saint of the undivided Church, and the OCA and other jurisdictions keep his feast; Orthodox churches have no developed list of patronages for him.
Tradition tells that he taught the Holy Trinity with the shamrock, and the prayer known as St Patrick's Breastplate asks God's protection from the powers of darkness.
His patronage against snakes is Western; the OCA notes that the snake story has no historical basis.
Name days
These names keep their name day on this feast:
The saint
Icons for the feast
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